Prototype Naruto
by Blood Seraph
Summary: There are humans, and there are demons. And then there is Uzumaki Naruto. A child of Blacklight. He knows not who he is, nor who he must become. For this, he hunts, he kills, he consumes, he becomes... Hiatus!
1. Chapter 1

_**Prototype Naruto**_

_**Well... Yeah, you can kill me if you can find me... and if you do, damn you're good! But yes, as the name implies, this is a Naruto/Prototype Crossover. This is gonna be GodLike Naruto, but then again, wasn't Alex? Don't worry, he wont' be without challenge, in this his regenerative are limited, in some areas. ALSO, this takes place right at the beginning of the Chuunin Exams.  
**_

_**Chapter I**_

_**Infection…**_

"What may I ask are we doing in Konoha?" A man, if you could call him that, chuckled.

"An experiment and I have the perfect test subject…" The chuckle was dark, ominous, as he twirled a syringe with a reddish substance inside.

"Blacklight? Are you sure? It's only exhibited promise in females, but even then, they don't listen to reason, and go to _that _town," The follower expresses, and the man glares at him.

"And? I know this! This is another experiment, with an entirely different variable…" The smile told the white haired man everything.

"You don't mean…"

"The Jinchuuriki."

"We don't even know what kind of effects it will have on him! The affects could be anything with a Bijuu interfering!" He was almost yelling, but the pointed glare put an end to that.

"Or it could kill him. It's a win-win situation. If it kills him, than Akatsuki is thwarted, something I'd greatly enjoy. Or, it's adverse affect could in fact be beneficial to my plans, and future experiments. We'll just have to see… Ah, there he is…" The scowl is replaced smirk as eyes fall on a fairly short, blonde, 12 year old boy.

"Are you sure about this Orochimaru?" The man whispers as they follow the child further and further from the crowded streets.

"Yes," Eventually they came to the slums, and the boy started heading towards an apartment. He had taken out the keys, and began to unlock the door. Just as the boy was opening the door Orochimaru, as he was now known, whispered.

"Now Kabuto!" His minion rushes forwards, unknowingly alerting the boy by stepping on a piece of glass.

Now, from what the boy had learned from real world experience and the academy, he bent his knees, making him a small target and turning around to face the intruder. Now, what happened next nobody could have predicted. Kabuto was aiming for the back of Naruto's neck, with the Shousenjutsu (_Mystical Palm Technique_) to knock him out. However, as Naruto was in the middle of his turn around, and lowering his head, Kabuto struck him in the temple. Naruto crumpled to the ground, gone and dead.

Kabuto cursed, lowering his head as he heard Orochimaru approach him.

"Damnit Kabuto! You killed him," Orochimaru curses, checking the boys pulse. Looking at the syringe in his hands, he debates whether to drop it now and infect the town, or save the pleasure of destroying Konoha himself. He opts to destroy Konoha himself.

"We need to get rid of this…" Orochimaru mutters, gesturing to the virus in his hand.

"And in some way that we won't get tracked down…" Kabuto finishes for him.

"First let's get this boy in bed at least, to make it look at least like a natural death," Orochimaru sighs as he picks the boy up and heads to his bed, throwing him haphazardly on as he turns, gesturing Kabuto to make it appear like he went to sleep, entering the living room with a noticeable scowl.

"Well, at least the Akatsuki won't be able to get their hands on the Kyuubi now…" Orochimaru leans back in the chair, trying to think of a way to dispose of the undeniably dangerous virus that could wipe out Konoha in a mere two weeks. It was sounding very tempting to drop the viral substance now and run for it. That is, until a very promising idea came to mind.

"What's that smile for?" Kabuto asks, coming into the room, pushing his glasses back on his nose.

"We inject the boy anyway!" Orochimaru laughs at his devilish idea, and Kabuto can merely raise an eyebrow.

"If we inject the boy, when they take him to the morgue, they'll find the virus in his body, and quarantine the entire hospital. Shut it down. With that, Konoha will have no hospital for the invasion, Kabuto," Kabuto could only smirk, shaking his head. Tossing the syringe to Kabuto, Orochimaru leaves the apartment as Kabuto enters Naruto's room.

"Turns out you really are the village's biggest threat, Naruto-kun…"

* * *

_**Naruto's POV**_

I sit up in the bed as my eyes snap open and observe my surroundings.

"Where am I?" The question lingers in the air…

"Better yet, who am I?" I shake the remaining grogginess from my eyes, sliding my feet over the edge of my bed, taking of a ridiculous sleeping cap in the process.

"Really?" I ask no one in particular, tossing the thing in the corner, noticing a headband on the counter.

"I'm a ninja…" Memories flash in my head like pictures, and I see something, myself being given a headband by a man with a scar across his nose.

"_Congratulations… on graduating!"_

Shaking my head, I look around to see my Ninja ID card thing.

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh? Not a bad name…" I mutter, exploring the room.

"First things first, I need to get dressed." Stripping from my night garments, I head over to what I suppose is my closet, and shudder at what I find. Orange? Really? Ugh, I'm gonna make me sick. It takes fifteen minutes, but I finally find something other than orange. A black t-shirt that was very fitting, showing my apparently toned body, and a pair of dark navy blue cargo shorts, and a pair of blue sandals.

"Now… where am I supposed to go?" I than spot a picture on another stand near the door; in it there is me in one of those hideous jumpsuits, a brooding dark haired kid, and a cheerful pink haired girl. _She's pretty cute… _And a tall silver haired man.

Wondering into the kitchen with an odd craving for ramen, I notice a note on the fridgerator door saying to 'meet Sasuke and Sakura-chan at the grocery store.' A sudden knocking stirs me from my thoughts, and loud yelling.

"DAMNIT NARUTO-BAKA! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

I raise an eyebrow, before shrugging and opening the door to find the same two kids from the photo.

"What the hell Naruto?" The pinkette shrieks, and I flinch.

"Um, sorry…" She gives me an odd look, and so does the boy, "Are you Sasuke and Sakura?" I ask, and both of their jaws hit the floor, before Sakura recomposes herself and laughs mockingly.

"Ha ha, very funny, now let's get going before we miss the Chuunin Selection Exam!" She says, turning on her heel and heading off. I don't follow.

"What's going on dobe," Sasuke, I presume, asks, and I give him a glare.

"Rude much? I barely even know you," The comment throws them both off again.

"Okay Naruto, what the hell?" Sakura again, and I exit the apartment and close the door behind me.

"Sorry, but I really don't know you two very well, all I know is your guy's names…" I admit, and Sakura's brows knit together.

"You're serious aren't you?" She asks, looking slightly crestfallen, and I nod.

"Damnit, the day of the selection exams and the dope decides to get amnesia…" Sasuke mutters and I frown.

"HEY! It's not like I wanted to forget my family and friends ya know!" Sakura and Sasuke both flinch at that. I raise an eyebrow again.

"Naruto… You don't have a family…" Sakura says softly, and I straighten a little.

"Well that's a relief…" They both give me a skeptical look as if they couldn't believe what I just said.

"Well, at least I'm not hurting anybody by forgetting them, right?" I explain, and Sakura sighs.

"Same old Naruto, always looking towards the sun…" The air grows awkward, and I shrug a little.

"So, are we going to these Chuunin Exams or what?" I ask, and the both shake their heads.

"We should take you to a-," Sakura starts, and I raise a hand.

"Sasuke's looking forward to this, and apparently so was I. I'll see a doctor afterwards, okay?" I can tell she wants to say no, but Sasuke grunts and starts to walk off.

"Um, wouldn't it be easier to take the rooftops?" I ask, and they both look at me weirdly. Lowering my head, I decide to stay quiet as we make our way. I didn't however miss the looks they both kept giving me. It takes a while, but eventually we make it to a large crowd of people on the second floor around a scene.

"Hah! You plan to take the Chuunin Exam with that?" A kid with crazier hair than I, and two huge kunai looking things on his back says, "You should quit now."

"You're just a little kid," He continues.

"Yeah, yeah," His average-r looking companion says.

"Please… let us through…" I girl in Chinese clothing asks, next to the boy who was just knocked away. She approaches them, and the crazy haired on backhands her, and I can feel the urge to kill him raise within me. _No, calm down…_

"What did you say?" The bastard asks, "Listen, this is our kindness. The Chuunin Exam isn't easy… even we have failed it 3 straight times. Those that take this exam and end up quitting as shinobi, those that die during the exam, we've seen it all." This little speech makes me want to puke.

"And Chuunin often become captains of military teams. The failure of a mission. The death of a comrade… That is all a captain's responsibility. Yet kids like you think you can pass?" He continues, the Chinese girl giving him a hard glare. "We are just thinning out those that will fail anyway. What's wrong with that?" I stay quiet, but Sasuke speaks up.

"I agree… but…" He drawls, and I role my eyes. "You will let me pass through… and also remove this surrounding created with genjutsu. I'm going to the third floor," Wow, what a way to sound condescending. I noticed it too, not that impressive.

"Ah, so you noticed?" His companion says. Then it strikes me. Why do I remember about certain techniques, like the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (_Shadow Clone Technique_), and about genjutsu, but not anything else?

"Sakura, you must have noticed first, right?" He asks her.

"Huh…?"

"Your analytical ability and genjutsu know-how… is the most improved on our team." He compliments, and she blushes before looking down and giggling, causing my eyebrow to rise. _She likes Sasuke?_

"Of course, I noticed a while ago. Because this is the second floor." She says confidence in her voice.

"Hmm, not bad… but all you did… was see through it!" All of a sudden, he's attack Sasuke, and Sasuke is responding. Surprisingly, to myself and onlookers, I grab Sasuke's ankle, stopping it from moving while the kid getting hit around earlier, which I now notice has a green spandex suit and a bowl cut, tries to block both, if I hadn't have grabbed Sasuke's.

"That's not wise Sasuke," I whisper to him, letting go of his ankle and watching his wide eyes follow my hand, "These two are Chuunin." I observe, somehow knowing, seeing through their Henge (_Transformation_).

Bushy-Brows, as I will now call him, noticing his eyebrows, sigh, and the guy with lavender eyes, who I identify as a Hyuuga, catches his attention.

"What happened to the plan? You're the one who said we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves." He berates, and Bushy-Brows suddenly glance's at Sakura, and I feel myself frown.

"Well…" He starts, and Sakura notices his glance too. All of a sudden, he turns to Sakura, and his teammate is shaking her head muttering 'oh no.'

He waltz's up to Sakura with an odd look on his face, and says hi. "My name is Rock Lee. So yours is Sakura…" I'm standing next to Sakura, my eyes a little twitchy.

"Let's go out together! I'll protect you till I die!" He proclaims, giving her a thumbs up.

"No… Way… You're lame…" I have to resist a snicker, until I see Sasuke staring at the Hyuuga, and vice-versa.

"Hey you," He calls to Sasuke, "What's your name?"

I shake my head in disapproval.

"When you want to learn someone's name, you should give yours first." He says matter of fact-ly.

"You're a rookie, right? How old are you?" The Hyuuga persists.

"I don't have to answer you," And with that, he's walking away.

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun! Let's go!" Sakura says grabbing us both and dragging us off to our destination, although the entire time, her eyes were shifting back from Sasuke and I. When she finally lets us both go, and we're passing some stairs, all of a sudden Rock Lee calls out to us.

"Hey, guy with the dark eyes." He calls, and I roll my eyes. Always about Sasuke, huh?

Sakura freaks a little as Sasuke asks, "What is it?"

"Will you… fight me right here?" I almost roll my eyes.

"A fight right now?" Sasuke asks, and I do roll my eyes. _Of course you baka!_

"Yes," And with that he's jumping down to our floor, landing softly.

He stands up, and points his thumb at himself, "My name is Rock Lee. When you want to learn a person's name, you introduce yourself first, right?"

"Heh, so you know? Uchiha Sasuke…" He says, and Rock Lee suddenly enters a stance.

"I want to fight you. I want to test my techniques… against the offspring of a genius clan." He proclaims. "Plus…" Of course…

He looks at Sakura and winks, and I can't but chuckle at her response.

"EWW! THOSE LOWER EYELASHES ARE EWWW! Hair-style is lame… And those thick eyebrows…" He seems unfazed as he sends one of those fly-kiss thing Sakura's way with a, "You are an angel!"

I have to resist the urge to burst out laughing as Sakura does a limbo that results in her head smashing against the ground, leaving a large bump. After Sakura berates him about throwing weird things, I turn to Sasuke and interrupt him before he can start.

"Sasuke, this isn't the right time. Those bandages around his arms? Those are there because he is probably always practicing, far beyond what you do. We don't time for this." I explain, and he glances as me, as well as Sakura. Was I really acting that weird?

"I'm not walking away from a challenge Naruto," Sasuke says, and I grab his shoulder.

"Fine, than let me take care of him," I say, wanting to see how good I was.

"Who I wish to fight is not you… It's Uchiha," I roll my eyes.

"I'm getting sick of 'Sasuke-this-Sasuke-that,' you guys are talking about him like he's so special," I say walking towards Rock Lee.

"Well guess what, I don't think he's that special," I say, charging him. Jumping at the last second as he's about to kick me, he looks up in time to just barely dodge my heal ramming into his face. Dust rises in the air where I land, and the ground below my feet is shattered like glass.

"Guess he's not the only one who's special," I mutter, charging him again. This time I block his kick, barely moving as I retaliate with one of my own. And seeing as how I grabbed his ankle, there's not much he can do as I send him flying into the wall, sending more dust into the air. When it settles, it shows Rock Lee standing, grabbing his ribs. I stand up straight, gesturing for him to continue.

"That's enough Lee!" I hear, and look to my right to see a giant turtle, "Lee! What are you doing fight right before the Chuunin Exam?"

"I'm sorry, I just…" I'm raising an eyebrow as he knees to the turtle.

"No, I started it, I challenged Lee," I say, stepping up to defend him. The turtle looks at me, questioning, I think.

"Did he Lee?" He asks, looking away from me.

"No! I challenged the Uchiha, and, um…" He looks at me and I grin.

"Uzumaki Naruto," I fill in.

"And Naruto-kun jumped in, and squarely defeated me…" He admits. All of a sudden, there's a poof of smoke as a larger version of Lee appears on the back of the turtle.

"Geez! You guys are the epitome of adolescence!" He bellows.

"EWW! HE'S GOT EVEN THICKER EYEBROWS!" Sakura yells, and I chuckle.

"Are you Lee's sensei?" I ask, and he looks at me.

"Hai! I am Maito Gai! And…" He suddenly turns to Rock Lee, and I, and I'm pretty sure Sasuke and Sakura too, gawk as he punches Lee right across the face, yelling 'You fool.'

And, after an awkward moment, it becomes more so when they start hugging and screaming each other's names.

"Ooookaaay…" Turning around, I grab both Sakura and Sasuke by the back of the neck and haul ass outa there. Once where in a quiet hall, I let them go, and the both immediately round on me, just staring at me…

"Naruto, that was incredible!" Sakura starts, her praise bringing a blush to my face. "I mean, that guy was fast!"

"Really? I thought he was average…" I mutter, and her eyes widen.

"How'd you do it, Naruto," Sasuke demands vaguely.

"Um, what?"

"Smash the ground like that. It was reinforced wood, and the walls were stone and you kicked that guy so hard it made a small crater…" Sasuke points out, and I shrug.

"I have no idea. I'm an amnesiac, remember? I have no idea; I only remember little things, like ninja techniques, some info, and the ability to speak. Nothing else," I answer, and his brows furrow, before turning around and heading towards Room 301. Sighing, I follow him, Sakura right beside me.

Eventually we come to see the tall silver haired man from the photo. Our sensei. Staying quiet, I let Sakura do most of the talking.

"Oh… Sakura came too…" He drawls as we approach him, "Now we can take the exam properly."

"What do you mean?" The pinkette asks.

"The truth is that this exam can only be taken by teams of three." He explains, and again it's Sakura.

"Huh? But you said that taking the test was an individual choice. You lied to us?"

"If I told you the truth, Naruto or Sasuke would have pressured you to take the exam. Even if you didn't want to, if Sasuke asked you… You would, even thought it wasn't in your heart. For the sake of Sasuke… And… Well… Naruto too…" He explains.

"So if only Sasuke-kun and Naruto had shown up?"

"The exam would have ended here; they would not get to go any further. But you came of your free will. You guys are my proud team." He said; seemingly smile so I return the gesture with the other two.

"Now go!" He says, and we do, entering through the double doors to see a HUGE group of people.

"Sasuke-kun! You're late!" I long haired blonde suddenly glumps Sasuke from behind, and before I can even think, I'm asking…

"Who are you?" It slips, and she looks stricken for a moment before laughing it off. _Why does everyone do that?_

"Ha ha, you're a regular comedian Naruto," She says, hands on hip as I stare at her blankly.

"He's serious Ino, he didn't even remember us," Sakura says, and I turn to her suddenly.

"By the way, what's our sensei's name again?" I ask, barely catching the blonde's surprise.

"Oh crap! We forgot to tell sensei you had amnesia!" Sakura crows, pouting.

"It's better that we didn't otherwise he might have taken us out of the exam," I say, when I notice a slouching guy with pineapple hair and a big, fat guy walk up to us, standing next to Ino.

"So you really have forgotten? How troublesome…" The pineapple head mutters, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Can I get some introductions here?" I ask, and the big kid speaks up.

"Well, I'm Akimichi Chouji, he's Nara Shikamaru, and she's Yamanaka Ino," He explains, and I nod my head, and thank him.

"Yahoo! Found you!" A boy in a jacket with a dog on his head calls, and I roll my eyes again at the unfamiliar faces.

"H-hello…" A shy girl in the back says barely loud enough to hear.

"Well, well, everyone is assembled." The dog boy says.

"Geez, you guys too?" Shikamaru says, glancing over his shoulder at the approaching team.

"Again, who are you guys?" I ask, the tall, glass' guy doesn't seem to affect, however dog boy is looking at me like I'm crazy, and shy girl is looking hurt.

"What the hell Naruto, that's not even funny!" Kiba yells, and I give him a black stare.

"He's serious, Kiba…" To my surprise, it's sunglass that's saying it this time, and he holds out his hand.

"Aburame Shino," Well he doesn't seem too affected by this revelation…

"Ugh, I'm Inuzuka Kiba, and that's-."

"Hyuuga who?" I ask, interrupting him.

"H-Hinata…" She stutters, and once again I nod.

"Why haven't you guys got him checked out yet?" Shikamaru asks Sasuke and Sakura, and I shrug.

"Chuunin Exams, those two seemed pretty excited and I didn't want to disappoint…" I explain, when I notice white haired man staring at me like I was a ghost of some sort. And to be honest, it was really irritating.

"What do you want whity?" I ask, causing everyone to look at him, and he composes himself, rearranging a small instead of shock.

"You guys should be quieter," He says, changing the subject and walking towards us.

"You guys are rookies just out of the academy, right? Screaming like school girls… geez…" He mutters, and I'm really starting to get sick of his attitude, "This isn't a picnic you know…"

"Who do you think you are?" Ino's voice has a dangerous edge to it.

"I'm Kabuto, but instead of that, look behind you…" He says, and I do so, along with the others.

A sight of three Ame-Nin (_Rain Ninja_) greets us. My eye twitches as they give us the death glare.

I'm about to say something when Kabuto speaks up again, avoiding eye contact with me seemingly.

"Those guys behind you are from Hidden Rain, they have short tempers." He explains.

"Well, I can't blame you. You're clueless rookies. You remind me of how I used to be." He continues, and I roll my eyes. Can I take your head off please?

"Kabuto-san… right?" Sakura asks, and he replies with a yes, "So this is your second time?"

"Nope… my seventh," I have to resist the urge to scoff here, "This exam is held twice a year, so this is my fourth year."

"Wow, so you know a lot about this exam?" Sakura asks in amazement.

"That's right," He chuckles suddenly, "Then I'll share some info with you cute rookies. With the Nin-Info cards…" Wow, original name…

"I need a breath of fresh air, I'm going out for a little," I say, heading towards the double doors and ignoring Sakura's protest. However, I notice something. Fast movement in the crowd, head towards Kabuto. _Damn me and this stupid morality thing…_ I mutter as Kabuto dodges two kunai thrown at him, when another opponent appears in front of him. Before either can even move, I've got the second attack by the neck, choking him as he futilely struggles.

"Ah ah ahh, naughty sound ninja," I say, a smirk on my face. Using all of my strength, I throw him against the nearby wall and watch him fly. He smashes into, and red stains the bastard's bandages around his mouth. I can feel all the eyes bearing into me, and I slip my hands in my pocket.

"Exams starting…" I mutter as a large poof of smoke appears at the front of the room.

"QUIET DOWN YOU WORTHLESS BASTARDS!" At the head of the large group is a very scarred, large man dressed in mostly black leather it looked like.

"Thanks for waiting… I'm Morino Ibiki, The examiner for the Chuunin Selection Exam's first test." He was raising his arm to point, but I couldn't resist.

"Wow, impressive entrance, but you know the door isn't out of order right?" I felt no fear facing this man, and once again the eyes of all in the room were on me.

"Shut up or get out kid," The tone was dangerous, but it was empty, and we both knew it, causing me to smirk.

He grunts in annoyance, "Here's a good opportunity to say this… There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated," His eyes harden as he glares at the whole room, "Those pigs that disobey me will be failed immediately. Do I make myself clear?" The whole room is quiet, and I chuckle, catching my 'friend's' attention.

"This'll be interesting…"

"We will now start the first test in the Chuunin Exam," He's irritated obviously, and my smirk grows larger. I don't know why it's so funny, "Instead of your current seating arrangements," He pulls out a wooden tab; "You will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exam." We all do so, and I end up sitting next to Hinata. She seems to be nervous sitting next to me, most likely because of what I did to the Oto-Nin (_Sound Ninja_).

"Let's… do our best…" She says shyly, giving me a smile. _Or maybe not…_

Before I can look into it more, Ibiki speaks up, "Do not turn your tests over. Listen closely to what I'm about to say," When he's sure he's got everybody's attention, he continues, "There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write it on the board while I explain, but questions will not be allowed, so listen carefully."

"Rules?" I hear Sakura whisper quietly.

"The first rule. You guys will start off with ten points. The test is made up of ten questions and each one is worth a point but… this test uses a subtraction system. Basically, if you answer all the questions correctly, you keep your ten points. But say if you miss three questions… You lose three points and will have seven." Okay, simple enough…

"The second rule… this is a team test. Whether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of your teammates. So, each team will complete to see how many points they can hold on to from the initial team total of thirty."

"Wait a second!" Sakura yells, "I don't understand this initial points system either, but why is it a team test?"

"Shut up, you don't have the right to question me." I don't know exactly why, but that tone pissed me off when used towards Sakura.

"There is a reason for this, so be quiet and listen," Quiet all around, "Ok, and now the most important rule. The third rule is that during the exam… anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activities, namely cheating…" Dramatic much? "Will have two points subtracted for every offense."

_Okay, that is pretty bad… _

"So there will be some who will lose all their points during the exam and be asked to leave." He likes drawing out the suspense, doesn't he?

"We'll have our eyes on you guys…" One of the officers say, and I roll my eyes.

"Realize that the pathetic ones that get _caught _cheating will be destroying themselves. As shinobi trying to achieve the level of Chuunin, be proud ninja." Something about what he said got me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it…

"And the final rule… those that lose their initial points during the test and those that don't answer any questions correctly…" A long pause, _geez, he's a drama queen,_ "Will be failed along with their two teammates." _Hm that could be a problem me being amnesic and all…_

"WHAT DID HE SAY!?" I hear Sakura yell, and I'm guessing with the way she was ogling Sasuke, that meant she was more worried about me failing, if I was interrupting this correctly.

"The Exam will last one hour. Begin!" I flip the paper and scan the first question. _A cryptogram, great, this doesn't make sense to me at all… Second question… _I finally scan all the questions, and realize that most of them are far above my level, or anybody else's for that matter. Then it hits me, what got to me earlier. They _expect _us to cheat, that's why there are officers watching us. But what he said about 'Be proud ninja,' he _wants _us to cheat, without getting caught. However, I don't really have any good, spy techniques that I know of at least. Although… This last question… Given at the end of the test? That makes no sense… Unless there is a hitch, which there probably is…

"Um… I'd just like to know one thing…" Some random gennin says, standing up to address Ibiki. "How many teams will pass this test…?" Ibiki just chuckles.

"It's not like know will help you…" His face is all serious, "Or do you want to be disqualified?"

The gennin sits down, and I sigh. _How am I supposed to cheat without getting caught? _I hang me head over the back of my chair, closing my eyes, hearing every scratch of every pencil in the room. _I don't have the Byakugan, nor the Sharingan to copy pencil movements. I'm not smart like Sakura. I don't have little buddies to tell me what others are writing… _I sigh and straighten my head, only to do a double take, making everyone look up from there papers as I my head snaps around the room. Why you ask? Well, everyone was suddenly orange, and everything else blue. _No way… Thermal Vision?_ I ask to myself, when the proctor calls for me.

"Stop acting like an idiot and get back to work, kid," He calls, and I look at him, bowing my head.

"Um, it's a little cramped in here, is it all right if I go outside for a breather?" I could feel Sakura and Sasuke's glare on the back of my head.

"What's the problem?" He's voice is still as hard as it was, but he could tell something was up.

"Um, sorry, nothing, never mind, just nervous I guess," I chuckle to add effect, rubbing the back of my head with my eyes closed, sitting back down. Resting my head in my arms, I open my eyes again, raise me head and everything is back to normal. _Experiment time,_ Closing my eyes, I focus on seeing heat, and open them again. _Success! _Repeating the process, only this time thinking normal, once again everything's normal. _Not really information gathering, but useful none the less…_

"Naruto-kun…" I glance over to see Hinata glancing out of the side of her eyes at me, "You can look at my test." She whispers. I instantly shake my head and look back forward.

"They'll catch me in an instant, and you might get marked for it in the process. Don't worry, I'll just wait for the final question," I whisper back, and that's the last of that. _This is a mind game… So just what is Ibiki playing at? Information gathering, yes, but what if we don't answer a single question? Right, for that matter, would he really disqualify us for that? Or maybe he's just psyching us out… I'll just have to wait, I guess…_

"Ok, we will not start the tenth question…" _Finally… _"Now… before we get to it… I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." _Great, more drama queen rules… _

"Heh… Nice timing…" Ibiki says, referring to the guy who went to the bathroom with that doll. Thermal Vision wasn't bad…

"Was your doll playing beneficial?" I chuckle. Of course he would notice an extra officer; he probably personally chose each of them.

"Just sit down," He does, and Ibiki begins again, "I'll explain now… These are… the rules of desperation…" _Jesus H. Christ, would you stop it with the drama! I know you're trying to be intimidating but this is ridiculous… _"First, for this tenth question… You must decide whether you will take it or not." _What…_

"Choose?!!" A girl with a fan yells out, "What happens if we choose not to?!!"

"If you choose not to, your points will be reduced to zero… you fail! Along with your two teammates." _Hm, that's not good…_ _I'm not worried though… _

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!!" One gennin yells.

"THEN OF COURSE WE WILL DECIDE TO TAKE THE QUESTION!" _Shut up so he can continue…_

"And now… the other rule. If you choose to take it… and answer incorrectly… that person will lose the right to ever take the Chuunin Selection Exam again." _No way can he do that, he can't enforce that in every country, Konoha isn't the exclusive holder of these exams. How do I know that…? _

"What kind of stupid rule is that?!!" Kiba yells, "There are guys here who have taken the exam before!!!" He chuckles, and I feel a growl rise in my throat.

"You guys were unlucky. This year it's my rules." This guy is getting irritating… "But I am giving you a way out."

"Huh?"

"Those that aren't confident enough can choose not to take it… and try again next year." I could feel the tension raise a few notches. _Geez, if I'm wrong, then neither option is good…_

"Now let's begin… the tenth question… Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave." The entire room is still, and everyone's thoughts are almost tangible, if not readable. I feel a set of eyes on me and turn in my seat to see Sakura giving me a concerned look… _Probably worrying if I'll quit… _The thought stings, and I turn back in my seat, frowning. Suddenly the guy next to me is standing up, raising his hand.

"I… wont' take it!" He almost yells, and he apologizes to his teammates as his, and their numbers are called, and almost like dominos, quite a few people quit, leaving maybe a few handful of people left. I can still feel Sakura's gaze on me, and I twitch a little, feeling slightly uncomfortable. _I haven't raised my hand yet, so what's with the stare? _I hear her chair scrap slightly, when I raise my hand, deciding to have a little fun. I smirk comes to my face as I see Ibiki eye me, and Sakura and Sasuke's eyes bore into my back…

That is, before I slam my palm into the desk, giving Ibiki the most confident smirk I can, "Don't underestimate the rest of us! I'm not running!" I call out, and I see surprise run across his face, but only for half a second, before I continue. "I'll take it! Even if I'm a gennin forever… I'll still become the strongest ninja anybody's ever seen, so I don't care! I am not afraid!" I proclaim Ibiki's face completely stoic. Hinata gives me an admiring look, which I only barely glimpse at, continuing my staring contest with Ibiki. I can feel tension slightly loosen its hold as all eyes are on me.

"I'll ask you again. Your life is riding on this decision, this is your last chance to quit," He adds, his voice as stone cold as his face.

"I follow my unbending words… That's my ninja way…" I don't know what compelled me to say it, but every fiber of my being tells me it's true, that it's a universal fact for anybody that knows who I was, who I _am_ still. I can feel the confidence within the room rise, all tension completely forgotten. He seems to be debating with himself as he surveys the rest of the gennin still left in the room. A small, amused smile reaches his scarred face as he glances at one of the officers.

"Good decisions. Now to everybody still remaining…" He drawls, the tone of his voice lighter than usual, so the dramatics to bother me as much. "I congratulate you on passing the first test!" I blink a few times, surprised by the revelation, before a large, toothy grin spreads across my face.

"Wait… what do you mean?" I hear Sakura ask, and I shake my head, "We already pass? What about the tenth question"

A seemingly uncharacteristic grin comes to his face, "There never was such a thing." He informs us, "Or you could say that those two choices were the tenth question." Confusion blankets the gennin, and I feel like I'm the only one who understands that this was all a mind game to separate the strong willed from the weak.

"Hey!!" I hear someone yell, looking over my shoulder to see a dusky blonde with a fan near her, and pig tails, or whatever you call them, "Then what were the first nine questions for!?" She yells, obviously irritated. "They were pointless then!"

He's tone takes on a far more cheerful persona, seemingly a different person, as he explains, "They were not pointless… They had already served their intended purpose." The anger radiating off of the blonde is subdued as she gives him an utterly confused look. "To test your individual information gathering ability… That purpose."

"Information gathering…?" She whispers, and I chuckle.

"First, as the rules explained… success on this test is based on the whole team doing well. This puts pressure on each member to not mess things up for their teammates," He explains, and I lean back in my seat, feet finding purpose on the desk, steadying me.

"I had a feeling this test was something like that…" I mutter to myself.

"But the questions on this test were not the types that a mere gennin could answer. Because of that…" He pauses a moment, to let some people realize on their own, "I'm sure most people came to the same conclusion… That to score points… I'll have to cheat." He says, and I see it click for a lot of people than.

"Basically… the premise of this test _is _to cheat. As cheating targets, we had two or so Chuunin who knew all the answers mixed into the crowd. To help you guys out." He explains, and I nod my head, choosing not to say anything as I heard a few behind me complain about finding the guys in the first place.

"But those that cheat poorly… Fail, of course." He says as he removes the wrap on his head.

"Because… in times, information is more important than life," He explains, as I examine the scarring, burns, and even screw holes on his crown. It accrued to me that this guy was lucky to be alive, being through such torture. "And on missions and on the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it."

Everybody had different reactions, mostly shock and disgust, although the bastard with the bloody bandages, courtesy of myself, seemed arrogant almost, and it made me want to kill him that much more.

"If the enemy or the third party notices you… there is no guarantee the info will be accurate." He informs us as he ties his wrap back on. "I want you to remember this. Information in your hands… can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for the village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separated those that did not have the right abilities." I almost scoff at this, as I didn't cheat, and still hadn't answered a single question.

"But… I don't understand the final question." I feel about ready to smack her across the face, but Ibiki seemingly smiles sheepishly, finishing tying his head wrap.

"But... question ten… is the true purpose of this test." He explains, hands held out to either side.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asks, and I'm surprised she hasn't already figured it out.

Ibiki is about to start explaining when I hold up my hand, surprise everybody in the room, and Ibiki himself as well.

"What he means, is that we took the leap of faith. We could have chosen the easy way out, take it again next year with the knowledge we can try again, or take the leap of faith and answer the final question, even with the chance of not becoming anything more than gennin for the rest of our lives. We made the tough decision." I answers, and I can feel all of the stares on me, and the utter disbelieving looks from both of my teammates.

"Exactly!" Ibiki says with a grin. "Sometimes, no matter what the danger… there are missions you _can't _avoid." He says, emphasis on can't, "The ability to be courageous… and survive any hardship…" He pauses as he has everyone rapt in his speech. "This is the ability needed to become a Chuunin! Those who can't put their destinies on the line… Who cling to the uncertain future of "there's always next year…" And walk away from their chance…" His face hardens again, to show his dislike of such cowards, "Those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices… Don't have the right to become a Chuunin… That's how I feel!" He adds emotion to the finale, and I can't help but smile. _I might actually like this guy…_

"Those who choose to take it… answered the tough tenth question correctly. You will be able to survive any troubles you face in the future." His face softens again as a smile reaches his lips. "You have made it through the entrance; the first test of the Chuunin Selection Exam is now finishes. I wish you luck!" I smirk, calling out.

"You better!" And with that, I see a bemused smile thrown my way as he chuckles.

Suddenly, a figure is crashing through the window, sending glass everywhere as she lands in front of Ibiki with a flourish, who seems to close his eyes and shake his head in utter amusement.

A woman stands up, with an obvious fondness for fish net, and a trench coat and purple hair.

"You guys!!" She calls, even though everybody's attention is already on her, "This is not time to be celebrating!" She says it with such conviction that I feel the urge to laugh.

"I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go!!"

* * *

_**Read, review, or whatever!**_

_**Now, a few of you have (Most of you) probably have questions, and I'll answer them here after every chapter, if I think they're relevant. If I don't answer, that either means they're gonna be answered soon, or they're too big to spoil. Now, the most prominent question I think people will have, is the Kyuubi dead? Yes. He's dead. I'm really enjoying this so far, so don't worry, I'm very likely to update this sooner then later. So yes, there we go. Hope you like, and if you don't like semi-invincible Naruto, this isn't for you. Alex Mercer was a God. Naruto is ninja. He is uber-God. Oh yes, if ANYONE has a better name for this fic, I'm open to ideas. I realize that the title isn't very good. Oh yes, this IS NaruSaku, like all my other stories. I think that's all I have to say....  
**_


	2. Author's Note

Author's Note:

I'm sorry to say that... I no longer really have an interest in Nauto fanfiction. I don't know how, or when, but my passion for this fanfiction seems to have... gone from me, and I apologize. I should have posted this AN so long ago. I must say, however, that not all is lost. I'm writing fanfiction again, and it is not without possibility that I may find inspiration to once more write my Naruto fics again.

However, until further notice, I'm putting all of my Naruto stories on hiatus. I'm sorry.


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